Navy Yard shooting: Witness says he heard gunshots, fled

Speaking to ABC7's Sam Ford, the witness said that the sounds originally sounded like a table collapsing on the ground, but that the fourth sound was unmistakable - it was a gunshot.

The witness, and his coworkers, knew it was time to get out.

“When that happened, everyone said ‘this is no drill. Go go go. Emergency exits, now,” he said. “A whole bunch of us were able to make it to the emergency exits, and we heard several more shots.”

The witness said he knew people on the fourth floor who had seen the shooter. Some had managed to escape the Naval Sea Systems Command building while others were sheltering in place.

“I do know some folks did see him on the fourth floor, and they were able to get out. He was just walking through the offices, shooting,” the witness said. “They just said he was wearing, or they thought he was wearing, black clothes. They think he had a hat on. They said two of the shots he just fired into the air… He just fired into the air. And sometimes he fired at people.”